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A woman became pregnant with twins carrying a genetic disease after a testing method used by an IVF clinic in Nottingham failed. Credit: PA

A woman became pregnant with twins carrying a genetic disease after a testing method used by an IVF clinic in Nottingham failed.

The woman underwent treatment at the Care Fertility clinic, which has reported five previous serious incidents relating to genetic testing.

In one case, a baby was born with incurable sickle cell anaemia after mistakes at a third party laboratory used by the clinic.

The latest incident, also involving the laboratory, is revealed in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) report on errors committed in the industry last year.

It's not been revealed whether the twins have been born yet.

The woman underwent a process which enables people with a genetic condition in their family to avoid passing it on to their children.

The procedure involves checking the genes and the chromosomes of embryos created through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). The woman underwent the process for a chromosomal translocation in September of last year.

Chromosomal translocation occurs when one or more parts of a chromosome breaks off and rejoins in a new location, which can be a different chromosome.

The woman was implanted with an embryo identified as not having this genetic fault and became pregnant with twins.

But subsequent tests showed the pregnancy was affected by the fault after all.

Care Fertility Nottingham have released the following statement.

"The investigation by the HFEA concluded that this incident arose as a result of a recognised but rare technical failure about which patients are informed before treatment."

"There was no evidence of human error and or weakness in the laboratories systems and processes."

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Doctors studying IVF at the University of Nottingham say a procedure that is widely available could improve chances of having a baby by up to twenty percent.

Dr Lukasz Polanski is part of a group of doctors carrying out a clinical trial into the effectiveness of endometrial scratching which involves damaging the lining of the womb before embryos are implanted.

A new procedure called endometrial scratching can improve the clinical pregnancy and birth rate by 20%, a study has found.

Results from a trial undertaken jointly by the University of Nottingham and a team of scientists from Brazil shows an increase in the clinical pregnancy rate of women undergoing IVF and ICSI treatment to 49%, compared with the current average of 29%.

A study involving a researcher from the University of Nottingham has found that a procedure called endometrial scratching can significantly improve the clinical pregnancy rate.

Results from the trial, undertaken by a team of Brazilian scientists in collaboration with Dr Nick Raine-Fenning from the University of Nottingham, shows an increase in the clinical pregnancy rate of women undergoing IVF and ICSI treatment to 49%, compared with the current average of 29%.